When Moses liberated the Israelites from Egypt, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. "From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.

The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst? So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me" (Exodus 17: 1-4). SCLC finds itself at this same crossroad, as did Moses. Let me explain.

The Mission Statement of SCLC states "In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference is renewing its commitment to bring about the promise of 'one nation, under God, INDIVISIBLE' together with the commitment to activate the 'strength to love' within the community of humankind." SCLC has accomplished it goal "to bring about the promise of 'one nation, under God."

America has no more segregated lunch counters, schools, buses, etc. Black folks have the right to vote. There is no more literacy test to prevent people of African descent from voting, if we go to the polls. Unfortunately, enough of us still don't go to vote. That being said, SCLC has made America one nation, under God. The nation is under God because everything is under God. Whether the nation is godly is still a matter with which to be dealt. Like Moses, SCLC has to make the transition to a new role.

Moses had to make the transition from being liberator to being provider. SCLC has to do the same. As Exodus 17 continues, God instructed Moses to use the same rod that parted the Red Sea to strike a rock at Horeb that would bring forth water. God instructed Moses to get out in front of the people, and take some elders. There was still a fight to be waged, but the enemy, Amalek, was new. SCLC must learn from God's instructions to Moses, and "get out in front of the people." There is a new enemy. And it comes in the guise of our own people. Walk with me.

People outside of our race tried to control the leadership within our race by using a person from our race. In the 2002 election for the fourth congressional district Denise Majette was used to unseat Cynthia Mckinney. Because Majette did not seek re-election, and I think to her credit, the same enemies of our people could not use her to duplicate their success. Therefore, when the enemy found that Cynthia was going to rerun for her seat they persuaded Connie Stokes and Nadine Thomas to oppose her in the primary. Both Stokes and Thomas courted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to help finance their congressional campaigns. This was the same organization that used Majette to unseat Cynthia. This is where the leadership of SCLC was much needed.

Both Nadine Thomas and Connie Stokes headed committees within the Georgia State Senate. Both had to give up these chairmanships to run for the fourth district. Simple math dictates that one of them would loose in the fourth congressional district primary. History bears witness that both lost.

SCLC should have illuminated that Cynthia Mckinney, who won the primary, is the best-qualified candidate for that seat. With her victory in the general election, her seniority is reestablished. Congressional appointments are made based on seniority. Both Thomas and Stokes would have been freshmen, if elected, and would have been assigned to positions of the least influence.

Now because of their decisions, our people have lost two chairmanships in the Georgia State Senate. We could have had both chairmanships and the seniority in congress. But because SCLC is bickering within itself, we did not have its historical greatness to lead us out of the wilderness. SCLC must move from liberator, to mediator. The health and the wealth of our people cry for this transition to be made most expeditiously. If not, SCLC may find itself in a position of possible stoning, as did Moses.

Prepared by Pastor Mmoja Ajabu

© 2004 by Afro Staff